News

City of Atlanta designing for its future

Photo by David Luse

By Maria Saporta

February 22, 2016 – Atlanta currently has about 450,000 residents. Given the demographic trends of people moving to live in central cities, Keane said Atlanta’s population could double in the next 15 years.

So If Atlanta wants to be pro-active, it would try to plan for that growth and direct it to the areas that can absorb new residents.

First on Keane’s list for higher density is downtown Atlanta, which he said could have many more residents. Given the level of transit and walkability, downtown could become much more robust.

“There’s a tremendous amount of unused land in downtown,” Keane said.

But both Keane and Gravel, however, want to start the Atlanta Design Project with its natural environs – the rivers and creeks, the forests, the ridges – the fundamental features that give the city its landscape.

“We are talking about starting with a foundation of green connections,” Keane said. Once they have a good understanding of the natural environment, the planners will then work with community groups and citizens to decide which parts of the city can handle more density.

“Neighborhoods are not going to change substantially,” Keane said.

But what could change are the places in between. Atlanta’s major streets could become more urban; and spaces that have been vacant could be viewed for future development or green space.

Gravel said they are just starting with the Design Atlanta project, learning how other cities have tried to be proactive by adopting enlightened policies. For example, in the 1990s, Vancouver, set policies to protect views of the water and the mountains, to protect the waterfront, to define the heights of buildings and to build narrow towers.

“The idea is to only shape a design that is unique to Atlanta,” Gravel said. “The process needs to be unique to Atlanta as well.”

Gravel said the railroads helped shape Atlanta’s growth – defining the major corridors and helping form the city’s neighborhoods. Then highways split several of those communities apart.

“As the city and the region transitions to a more urban environment, we will do better if we embrace that change,” Gravel said. “Fortunately our relationship with cars is changing with ride share and automation. Think of how much land we dedicate to parking, especially downtown.”

Gravel said there are some givens.

“We know that we love our tree canopy, and we know we love our neighborhoods,” Gravel said. “If Atlanta grows by a half million people, we want to be sure we become more about what Atlanta wants to be. There’s a natural tension between keeping Atlanta green and greater urbanization. It’s about how we strike that balance.”

The plan will be to engage citizens and to figure out how to make decisions “at the local level,” Gravel said, adding that the city will be reaching out to get public participation.

1. Magnolia Collection

Magnolias are part of an ancient lineage of flowering plants dating back approximately 95 million years. The Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum is home to 18 types of magnolias from evergreen to flowering. Two magnolias in particular have witnessed history as they were planted just beyond the outfield wall for the former Ponce de Leon Park, where the Atlanta Crackers played baseball. Babe Ruth and Eddie Matthews both hit home runs that were caught in the canopy of one of these magnolia trees. As part of Arboretum experimentation, we have taken cuttings from these historic magnolias and grown them into new trees so that this piece of history can live on the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum and in new parks and baseball fields around Atlanta.

2. 33 Oaks

The oak trees on this slope and throughout the Arboretum represent many ecosystems in Georgia, from bottomland hardwood swamps to granite outcrops. Of the approximately 90 species of oaks native to the United States, 33 are native to Georgia. All 33 oaks are growing on this slope and between them dance 33 stainless steel leaf sculptures – one for each tree.

These metal oaks were designed and crafted by David Landis of Landis Sculpture Studio. Learn more about David’s work here.

3. Beech Circle

Among the stateliest of our native trees, beeches are indicative of a mature forest. Though they can take around 40 years to produce a large quantity of nuts, beech trees are critical for wildlife. Beeches provide food and shelter for all kinds of birds and mammals, such as the red-headed woodpecker. Dubbed the fairy ring, the circle of beech trees here surrounds a granite outdoor classroom and gathering place where you can contemplate how the beech trees will look in 3, 5, and 10 years!

4. Eastside Azalea Collection

Despite the native azalea holding the title of Georgia’s State Wildflower, it is underused in the landscape. The Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum is now home to the largest public native azalea collection in the Atlanta Area with over 300 azaleas on display. The collection highlights over 25 species, cultivars, and varieties, and is home to all 13 azaleas native to the state of Georgia. This collection focuses on named cultivars (varieties that have been selected for depending on color, size, bloom time, etc.) within two series called the Georgia Moon Series and the Sunrise to Sunset Series. The Georgia Moon Series will have fragrant white-blooming Georgia native species, and the Sunrise to Sunset Series will be comprised of Georgia native species in warm orange, reds, and soft yellows blooming from March – July.

5. Stumpery Garden

This stumpery garden will be a horticultural oddity, serving as a public place for learning and exploration and demonstrating how trees can be utilized in a beautiful way. Stumpery gardens utilize dead, fallen, and storm-damaged trees as an asset to the garden – providing critical habitat for beetles, frogs, birds, and small mammals such as chipmunks. Whole logs are placed upside down to display their root structure, and logs, branches, and pieces of bark are arranged to form walls and archways. Plants such as ferns, lichen, mosses, soft grasses, and trailing plants are encouraged to grow on and around them.

6. Westside Azalea Collection

Different from the Eastside collection, the Westside collection has all straight species and natural varieties that encourage free hybridization. These azaleas are all grown from seed so there are many variations in the hues even between the same species.

7. Persimmon Woods

Home to the largest American persimmon tree in the state of Georgia, this remnant old growth forest on 1.3 acres provides habitat to a variety of deep forest flora. Walking through a nature trail and over a few bridges will bring you up close and personal with woodland groundcovers, rare spring ephemerals (plants with a short life cycle) such as trillium, and a large collection of native woody species. Enjoy the seasonal blooms, learn from plant identification signs, and get hands-on with volunteer opportunities to plant, divide woodland perennials, and collect seed.